Introduction
The current presentation aims to address the following objectives:
- Identify emergency-related needs and challenges of an older adult (OA);
- Identify necessary emergency supplies;
- Specify emergency preparedness measures;
- Develop a personal emergency plan for an OA;
- Specify the importance of independent OAs
Emergency-Related Needs and Challenges of an OA
Some of the challenges an older adult can face in case of emergency include:
- mobility problems;
- chronic health conditions;
- absence of family of friends nearby when an OA needs support;
- age-related problems, such as hearing or vision impairment (American Red Cross, n.d.).
Therefore, the following needs can be identified:
- easy access to family members’ contact information;
- a mobile device to contact family or friends and a comprehensive understanding of its use;
- aids that can improve an OA’s mobility situation, such as a cane or a walker;
- easy access to vital medications during emergency (Shih et al., 2018).
Necessary Emergency Supplies for a Healthy OA
Some of the basic supplies that need to be included in the emergency kit for an OA are:
- Water (one gallon per person) and non perishable, easy-to-prepare food;
- First-aid kit and basic hygiene and sanitation products;
- Battery-powered or hand-crank radio and a set of extra batteries;
- Necessary medications, medical equipment and necessities;
- Emergency cell phone with charges;
- Family members’ contact information;
- Extra clothes and blankets;
- Key papers (American Red Cross, n.d.).
Emergency Preparedness Measures for an OA
- Identifying the disasters that are likely to happen in the OA’s region;
- Reviewing the information on the community response plans, alerts, and warnings;
- Assessing the OA’s cognitive, medical, and physical needs;
- Making an emergency contact list;
- Gathering necessary emergency supplies;
- Preparing key documents (Shih et al., 2018).
Personal Emergency Plan for an OA
An older adult I have visited to develop this emergency plan for is a family friend who currently lives alone, has mobility issues and mildly impaired cognitive abilities as a result of a stroke. Therefore, emergency plan for them would include the following steps:
- When sheltering at home, get to a safe place, avoiding windows and glass;
- Contact a family member or friend while in the safe place;
- Monitor the emergency news and alerts to stay informed on the recent updates;
- When required to evacuate, gather the medical emergency kit, basic supplies, and key documents;
- Use a mobility aid device to leave the house;
- Reach the safe location arranged in the evacuation plan;
- Follow the instructions of the evacuation team (American Red Cross, n.d.).
Importance for Independent OAs
This plan is important for the OAs living independently without services because it will:
- increase their awareness about the ways to prepare themselves to emergency situations (Shih et al., 2018);
- provide them with guidelines to follow during an emergency (Shih et al., 2018);
- improve their ability to react quickly to crisis situations;
- make them less vulnerable when disasters occur (Shih et al., 2018).
References
American Red Cross. (n.d.). Older adults. American Red Cross | Help Those Affected by Disasters.
Do you have an emergency preparedness plan for your senior loved one? (2020). Companions for Seniors.
Emergency preparation for seniors with disabilities. (2019). The Alden Network.
Shih, R., Acosta, J., Chen, E., Carbone, E., Xenakis, L., Adamson, D., & Chandra, A. (2018). Improving disaster resilience among older adults: Insights from public health departments and aging-in-Place efforts. Rand Health Quarterly, 8(1), 1-3.